- One American is expected to be released today, after none were released in the first two rounds
- Abigail Mor Edan, a 4-year-old who celebrated her birthday in captivity, is the only name that has been confirmed so far
Hamas is set to release at least one American hostage today, marking the first time U.S. citizens have been set free since the truce with Israel began.
The terror group handed over a number of hostages on Friday and Saturday, as part of a temporary cease-fire agreement that has also seen Israel release Palestinian prisoners.
On Friday, President Joe Biden confirmed a little girl named Abigail Mor Edan and two American woman remain held hostage by the militant group.
During an appearance on Meet the Press, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he was unable to confirm whether the is set to be released today, but the situation ‘is unfolding as we speak.’
Abigail is a 4-year-old Israeli-American girl whose parents were gunned down in the October 7 Hamas ambush.
On Friday, President Joe Biden confirmed a little girl named Abigail Mor Edan and two American woman are held hostage by Hamas
Abigail, 4, lost her parents in an October 7 Hamas attack on her kibbutz
Hostages have been released over Friday and Saturday, most recently a group of 13 Israelis. No Americans have been released
The little girl celebrated her fourth birthday in captivity, just two days ago.
She was kidnapped when militants stormed her kibbutz in southern Israel and gunned down her parents Roy Edan, 43, and Smadar Edan, 40.
Abigail’s siblings, aged 10 and six, survived after hiding out in the family home.
State Department officials have yet to confirm the names of the other two women.
‘All of these hostages have been through a terrible ordeal, and this is the beginning of a long journey of healing for them,’ Biden said in an address from Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday.
Earlier that day, the president was briefed multiple times by his national security team on the latest developments regarding the hostage release from Gaza.
‘This morning I’ve been engaged with my team as we begin the first difficult days of implementing this deal,’ Biden said. ‘It’s only a start but so far it’s gone well.’
Abigail celebrated her fourth birthday in captivity on November 24
‘All of these hostages have been through a terrible ordeal, and this is the beginning of a long journey of healing for them,’ President Joe Biden said Friday
He noted how the first group of hostages included ‘an elderly woman, a grandmother and mothers with their young children, some under the age of six years old.’
On Saturday, a dispute about the delivery of aid to Gaza delayed the release of 13 Israeli hostages by several hours.
Two Americans, an Illinois mother and daughter, were released last month.
Judith and Natalie Raanan, who have dual American-Israeli citizenship, were kidnapped from Nahal Oz together.
They were handed over to the Red Cross on October 20 before they were passed off to Israel.
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